Ministers urge Unite to postpone BA strike over poll defeat fears

Swag bags: people dressed as Unite political director Charlie Whelan walk to Downing Street in a Tory stunt

Gordon Brown was under increasing pressure to halt the BA strike today amid Labour fears that it is damaging their election campaign.

Ministers urged the Unite union both in public and in private to call off the action by cabin crews or at least postpone it until after polling day.

However, union officials claimed that British Airways management appeared determined to push the crisis to a head this week and said there was little sign of it coming to an end.

David Cameron's Conservatives ratcheted up the pressure, unveiling a London poster campaign showing the Prime Minister clutching fistfuls of union money behind his back, under the headline "Cash Gordon".

Party chairman Eric Pickles called a press conference at the old trade union HQ at Transport House to publish a dossier on Labour links with Unite and its political director, former Labour spin doctor Charlie Whelan.

The dossier highlights the £11 million given to Labour by Unite since Mr Brown became premier and states that 167 Labour MPs and candidates are members of the union. Half the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister and Ed Balls, receive funding for their local Labour branches from Unite, the biggest union.

In a speech, Conservative schools spokesman Michael Gove argued that the unions under Mr Brown wielded more power over Labour than at any time since the Eighties.

"The Labour Party that will go into this election in 2010 bears only the most superficial resemblance to the Labour Party that swept to power in 1997," he said.

Pointing to the departure of Blairite modernisers such as Alan Milburn and Stephen Byers, he said the next intake of MPs would include trade unionists bankrolled by Unite, including Harriet Harman's husband, ex-firebrand Jack Dromey.

The return of union militancy has been a shot in the arm for the Tories, who were at a low last week following the row about the non dom tax status of Lord Ashcroft, the party's deputy chairman.

Behind the scenes moves were taking place today to get BA and Unite union bosses back round the negotiating table. Both sides said they were willing to talk — but laid down impossible conditions. BA refused to reinstate an improved pay and conditions offer unless Unite cancelled the strikes. The union refused to talk unless the offer was restored.

Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, said today: "Put the offer back of the table and we get serious negotiations going again."